Water sports such as wakeboarding, wakeskating, skurfing, wake surfing, and knee boarding have become increasingly popular. Due to the popularity of such water sports, new technology has been developed to enhance the participant's experience.
Particularly, several measures have been taken to increase the size of the wake made by the watercraft that is towing a wake boarder or other type of water sport enthusiast, such as a wake skater, wake surfer, or tuber. The size of the wake, which is the track left by a moving watercraft in the water, can determine how enjoyable the experience is for the user being towed. The higher and more voluminous the wake is, the greater vertical lift a wake boarder or watercraft sport enthusiast can achieve when moving over and springing off of the wake. With this greater vertical lift, the user can perform tricks and stunts that would not be possible with a smaller wake.
One way in which the wake is made bigger is by adding large amounts of weight to the boat or watercraft. This is often achieved by adding a water ballast system to the inside of the watercraft. A water ballast system will take on water when desired to cause the watercraft to ride lower and sink farther into the water, in other words, to increase the draft of the watercraft. When the watercraft then moves through the water, the increased draft causes the resulting wake to be larger.
While a ballast system does make a larger wake and does make it possible for the user to gain greater lift from the wake, it also has several disadvantages. For example, a ballast system causes the watercraft to experience a drastic decrease in fuel efficiency and handling, and creates all around greater wear and tear on the watercraft's mechanical parts.
In addition, ballast systems are generally only available in newer watercraft for the purpose of increasing wake size. Older watercraft do not have such ballast systems, and ballast systems are extremely difficult to retrofit to older watercraft. When a ballast system is added to an older watercraft, the result is usually not cost effective and outweighs the advantages of a having a larger wake obtained through installing such a ballast system.
Another way in which a user can enhance the vertical lift he or she can achieve over the wake of a watercraft is to include a tower on the watercraft. The towrope is then attached to the top of the tower. By increasing the distance between the surface of the water and the point at which the towrope is attached to the watercraft, the skier or boarder being towed can exert force, pulling upward on the towrope to achieve a greater vertical lift over the wake. The tower is typically a pylon or framework usually made of aluminum or other light metals.
Yet another way of enhancing the vertical lift a user can achieve over the wake of a watercraft is to increase the speed by which the user travels over the water, and especially the wake of the watercraft. An increase in velocity over a wake provides for more force to be exerted between the board the user is riding and the wake. One way to increase a rider's speed over a wake is to increase the speed of the watercraft pulling the rider. However, although the rider may employ audible or visual signals to the operator of the watercraft regarding the need for increased or decreased speed, communicating these messages may be cumbersome for the rider. This is because the rider may have to yell over other noises such as the noise of the engine of the watercraft, or may have to take a hand off the towrope in order to give a visual signal of some kind. This may cause the rider to become distracted or otherwise limit the rider's control as he or she is riding. Further, audible and visual communication with the operator of the watercraft takes the rider's ability to fully control his or her speed away, and creates and unpredictable situation where the rider may not anticipate the timing of the speed increase and degree of acceleration.
Another way to enhance the participant's experience is to allow the user to take advantage of the entire wake profile. Each wake made by a watercraft has a profile that is at its highest point immediately behind the watercraft and gradually reduces as the distance behind the watercraft increases. The wake profile is also dependant on the speed of the boat, the weight in the boat, the water conditions, etc. With a fixed tow line the participant can only take advantage of that section of the wake profile where he or she crosses the wake. If a participant had the capability to dynamically change where he or she intersected the wake it would greatly enhance the overall experience of the water sport session. Another way to enhance the participants experience would be to allow him or her the capability of riding along the top of the wake profile parallel to the watercraft.
Further, as alluded to above, when participating in the above-mentioned water sports, a rider may not be able to fully control various aspects of the riding conditions. This is because of the fact that the operator of the watercraft has unfettered control over rates of acceleration, direction of travel, and speeds of the watercraft at any given time. Also, changing some aspects of the riding conditions require that the watercraft be stopped in order to adjust. Thus, the rider has limited control over speeds, wake profile, and where he or she crosses the wake, among other riding conditions.
More specifically, one of the aspects that the rider does not have complete control over includes the length of the towrope from the attachment point on the watercraft. The length of the towrope may determine at what point in the wake the rider is riding. If the towrope is relatively short, then the rider can ride on the portion of the wake that is relatively larger since the wake is relatively larger immediately behind the watercraft. If the towrope is relatively long, then the rider can ride on a portion of the wake that is relatively smaller. Although in conventional systems, the rider may set the length of the towrope at a certain distance before and after a ride, the rider must remain at this length until he or she stops riding and adjusts the length. In other words, the rider cannot adjust the length of the towrope during a ride. If the rider had the option to dynamically change the distance that he/she could ride behind the watercraft then the rider could take advantage of the entire wake profile during a single riding session
Another riding condition that the rider may not be able to fully control is the timing of when the watercraft starts from a dead stop and begins to initially pull the rider out of the water to a point at which the board the that rider is riding on is planing. This is called a dead start. In conventional systems, the operator of the watercraft simply causes the watercraft to start pulling the rider out of the water at a point in time that may not be anticipated by the rider. For example, the rider may give an audible or visual cue to the operator of the watercraft to begin pulling him or her from a dead start position, but the operator may not engage the watercraft until several seconds later. At this point the rider's body may be off balance, the riders board or ski may be in the wrong position, such as under the water, the riders grip on the towrope may have changed or a number of others things could have changed that lessen the chances of success for the rider to get out of the water and on plane.
Yet another riding condition that the rider may not be able to fully control is the speed and acceleration at which the watercraft pulls him or her out of the water from a dead stop. Riders of varying skill levels may prefer or require different rates of acceleration and speed when being pulled out of the water from a dead stop. For example, novice riders may require a slower rate of acceleration and initial speed from a dead start, whereas an expert or professional rider may prefer and be able to withstand higher rates of acceleration and speed when being pulled from a dead start. Also, the weight and size of the individual may change how the watercraft pulls a participant out of the water.
Still another riding condition that the rider may not have control over is in connection with wake surfing. In wake surfing the surfer typically uses a knotted rope that is much shorter than a wake boarding rope because the surfer surfs on the largest point of the wake profile immediately behind the watercraft. Once the surfer gets out of the water and is on plane the surfer pulls himself or herself, usually hand over hand with the knotted rope, to the point of the wake where he or she desires to surf. Once surfing begins, the surfer typically releases the knotted rope and surfs without the rope. The rope often dangles in the water, sometimes on top of the surfer's board, and is there until the surfer falls or ends the session. In some instances when the surfer falls the rope can become entangled in the surf board or in the surfer's body and lead to injury to the surfer or even possible drowning of the surfer. Also in order for the surfer to get to the point of the wake where he or she desires to surf, the rider must pull hand over hand along the rope. This requires a lot of strength and can cause the surfer's hands to become sore from the rope.
Finally, different riders have different skill levels and abilities with regard to different water sports. Riders may be classified as expert, intermediate, or novice riders, and may further have varying degrees there between. Further, an expert rider with regard to wakeboarding, for example, may not be at the same skill level when participating in other water sports such as wake surfing, wakeskating, or skurfing, for example. Further, as riders improve their skill level, adjustments may need to be made with regard to various aspects of the rider's experience. For example, a rider who improves his or her skill level may wish to experience faster riding speeds, faster or slower accelerations over the wake, or shorter or longer lengths of rope.